On Thursday morning, I posted a message on my Facebook page which I will share here.

I wrote: “Hoping and praying that the agreement holds and we in fact see the return of the hostages and an end to the destructive war in Gaza. This will bring such relief to so many after these horrible two years for the people of Gaza and Israel. If all moves forward as promised and if this agreement leads to greater security for both Israelis and Palestinians, all who crafted this agreement, including President Trump and the administration, deserve our appreciation for this accomplishment. I recorded an edition of my podcast just before hearing the news and this morning have posted both the podcast and a brief thought after hearing the news. You can hear both at wrestlinganddreaming.podbean.com May we continue to hear good news and may we see true peace and co-existence in the future.”

The news about this agreement is certainly welcome to say the least. There are many potential pitfalls remaining before we will actually see the welcome return of all the hostages which so many of us have been hoping for for so long and a lasting cease fire. But I believe, as I stated in my podcast which I recorded before hearing the news, that all of us, regardless of our political positions should embrace and support this plan which has been approved by so many different parties, including most notably Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

The war began with what I believe was an absolutely legitimate military response to the unspeakably horrific terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 and Hamas’ continued threat to Israel. I think it is critical to clearly state that residents of Gaza have been endangered by Hamas’ placing a priority on attempting to destroy Israel rather than improving the lives of its own people. But, I also believe that aspects of Israel’s conduct of the war raise many serious ethical issues in the way that the war so tragically impacted the lives of so many thousands of innocent people in Gaza. These issues must be seriously considered as we look back on these two years and as we move forward. I hope and pray that future leaders in Gaza will recognize the disaster that Hamas’ leadership brought upon them and seek leaders who have a desire to improve life for their own people and to live in peace with Israel. And, I hope and pray that Israel’s leaders will seriously consider the questions that the war has raised and will recognize the importance of Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

In my podcast, I taught a midrash on the holiday of Sukkot and raised an issue that I feel is absolutely critical for the Jewish people moving forward. I hope you will listen to the podcast.

With hopes for a real and enduring peace and an opportunity for Israel and the Palestinian people to achieve security in the days ahead.